Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Perth Cemetery (China Wall) | IV. E. 14. | |
| 2. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 34C GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
Son of John R. and A. Franks, of Marlborough, England; husband of Ida Ovidia Franks (nee Imsland), of 1, Talana Villa, Hope Rd., Rosebank, Cape Town. Served in the South African Campaign.Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The Second Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902, South Africa.
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 3rd Regt South African Infantry |
| Action : The Battles of Ypres 1917 (Third Ypres, or Passchendaele) |
31 July - 10 November 1917. By the summer of 1917 the British Army was able for the first time to fight on its chosen ground on its terms. Having secured the southern ridges of Ypres at Messines in June, the main attack started on 31st July 1917 accompanied by what seemed like incessant heavy rain, which coupled with the artillery barrages conspired to turn much of the battlefield into a bog. Initial failure prompted changes in the high command and a strategy evolved to take the ring of ridges running across the Ypres salient in a series of 'bite and hold' operations, finally culminating in the capture of the most easterly ridge on which sat the infamous village of Passchendaele. The Official History carries the footnote ?The clerk power to investigate the exact losses was not available? but estimates of British casualties range from the official figure of 244,000 to almost 400,000. Within five months the Germans pushed the British back to the starting line, which was where they had been since May 1915.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Newcastle No. 2097 E.C. | Natal |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
13th July 1914 | - | - |
Joined Newcastle Lodge from another constitution [N.C.?] Listed as a Chemist (1914). "Killed in Action Oct 1917."
Junior Deacon
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley